This window curtain is made of small lace angels hung on beaded strands. Twenty-seven cream angels sit in six vertical columns, and each column is a little shorter than the one to its left, so the curtain steps down across the glass. Every angel has a round head, two small fan-shaped wings, and a scalloped dress with an openwork mesh band. Wooden beads in the same cream tone are spaced evenly along every strand and along the top header.
The whole curtain uses one warm cream/tan color. Sunlight shows through the mesh and the scallops, so the curtain looks its best on a bright window.
This pattern uses US crochet terms. The finished curtain is 24 in (61.0 cm) wide and 35.5 in (90.2 cm) long at its longest column. Two hanging loops of 3 in (7.6 cm) sit on top.
Here’s how it goes together. You crochet 27 flat angels, then starch and block them. Next you chain six beaded column strands and attach the angels as you go. Last, a beaded single-crochet header joins all six columns into one piece.
Finished Size and Construction
- Finished size: 24 in (61.0 cm) wide × 35.5 in (90.2 cm) long, plus 3 in (7.6 cm) hanging loops
- Skill level: Intermediate (beads strung onto the yarn, small motifs)
- Terminology: US
- Yarn weight: Sport (#2), mercerized cotton
- Hook: 3.25 mm (US D-3)
- Number of pieces: 27 angels, 6 beaded column strands, 1 beaded header
- Layout: 6 columns holding 6, 5, 5, 4, 4 and 3 angels, set 4 in (10.2 cm) apart, center to center
- Angel size: 3.5 in (8.9 cm) across the wings × 4 in (10.2 cm) tall; the hem is 3 in (7.6 cm) wide
- Angel spacing in a column: one angel every 5.5 in (14.0 cm)
- Size before header: the columns span 24 in (61.0 cm); the longest column is 35 in (88.9 cm)
- Header depth: 0.5 in (1.3 cm)
Materials
Yarn: Use a smooth mercerized cotton in sport weight (#2). Cotton keeps the lace crisp, takes starch well and doesn’t stretch much when it hangs. Avoid fuzzy or very stretchy yarn, because the openwork will blur and the columns will grow longer.
- Cream/tan: 100 g (about 330 m), based on 50 g = 165 m
- Angels: about 57 g (189 m), roughly 7 m each
- Column strands: about 4 g (13 m)
- Header: about 3 g (10 m)
The curtain needs about 64 g (212 m). The amount listed above includes a margin for swatching, tails and re-dos.
Beads: 100 round wooden beads, 10 mm, in natural or cream. The holes must be at least 3 mm wide. The curtain uses 90 beads (66 on the columns and 24 on the header), so 10 are spares.
Tools:
– 3.25 mm (US D-3) crochet hook
– Big-eye beading needle or a dental-floss threader, for stringing beads
– Tapestry needle
– Scissors and stitch markers
– Spray starch or fabric stiffener
– Blocking mat and rustproof pins
– Tape measure
– Tension rod or two cup hooks, for hanging
Abbreviations (US Terms)
- ch – chain
- sl st – slip stitch
- sc – single crochet
- dc – double crochet
- tr – treble crochet
- MR – magic ring
- st(s) – stitch(es)
- sp – space
- RS / WS – right side / wrong side
Special stitches:
- Bead chain (bch): Slide one pre-strung bead up against the hook. Yarn over and pull through the loop on the hook. The bead is now locked inside that chain.
- Bead single crochet (bsc): Insert the hook in the stitch, yarn over and pull up a loop. Slide one bead up against the work, then yarn over and pull through both loops. The bead sits on the side facing away from you.
Gauge and Checkpoints
Make one complete angel before anything else, and measure it at each stage:
- Head, after Rnd 1: 1 in (2.5 cm) across.
- Dress, after Row 2: about 2 in (5.1 cm) across the fan.
- Finished angel: 4 in (10.2 cm) tall, 3.5 in (8.9 cm) across the wings, and 3 in (7.6 cm) across the hem.
Strand gauge: 6 ch = 1 in (2.5 cm). One gap section (ch 2, bch, ch 3, bch, ch 2) should measure 2 in (5.1 cm).
Header gauge: 6 sc and 6 rows = 1 in (2.5 cm). Before you start the header, chain 25, work 24 sc and check that the row measures 4 in (10.2 cm).
If your angel is too big, go down to a 3.0 mm hook. If it’s too small, go up to a 3.5 mm hook. A difference of 0.25 in (0.6 cm) per angel throws off the column spacing, so fix it now. If only the strands are off, change your chain tension and leave the hook as it is.
Angel Motif (Make 27)
Head
Rnd 1: Make a MR. Ch 3 (counts as dc), then work 11 dc in the ring. Pull the ring closed and sl st to the top of the ch-3. (12 dc) Fasten off.
Number the stitches from the ch-3 as st 1 and go around the circle. St 1 is the top of the head and st 7 is the bottom, directly opposite.
Dress
The dress is worked in rows. It hangs from sts 6, 7 and 8 of the head and fans out wider with each row.
Row 1 (RS): Join the yarn with a sl st in st 6. Ch 3 (counts as dc) and dc in the same st. Work 2 dc in st 7 and 2 dc in st 8. (6 dc)
Row 2: Ch 3 (counts as dc) and turn. Dc in the same st, then work 2 dc in each remaining dc. The last 2 dc go in the top of the turning ch. (12 dc)
Row 3 (openwork mesh): Ch 4 (counts as dc + ch 1) and turn. Dc in the next dc, ch 1. Repeat from * across, then work the last dc in the top of the turning ch with no ch after it. (12 dc, 11 ch-1 sps)
Row 4: Ch 3 (counts as dc) and turn. Dc in the same st. Work 1 dc in each ch-1 sp and each dc across until 1 st remains, then work 2 dc in the 3rd ch of the turning ch. (25 dc)
How the count works: Row 3 has 23 places to work into (12 dc + 11 sps). The first and last get 2 dc each, so 2 + 21 + 2 = 25.
Row 5 (lace scallops): Ch 1 and turn. Sc in the first dc. Skip the next dc. In the next dc, work (dc, ch 1) 4 times, then 1 more dc. Skip the next dc and sc in the next dc. Repeat from * 5 more times. The last sc goes in the top of the turning ch. (7 sc and 6 scallops; each scallop has 5 dc and 4 ch-1 sps)
Each scallop repeat uses 4 sts. One sc plus 6 repeats uses 1 + (6 × 4) = 25 sts, which matches Row 4 exactly. The 4th sc is the center of the hem. Fasten off.
Wings (make 2 per angel)
Row 1: With the RS facing, join the yarn with a sl st in head st 5. Ch 4 (counts as tr). In the same st, work (ch 1, tr) 4 times. (5 tr, 4 ch-1 sps)
Row 2: Ch 1 and turn. Sc in the first tr, then ch 3, sc in the next tr. Repeat from * 3 more times; the last sc goes in the top of the ch-4. (5 sc, 4 ch-3 loops) Fasten off.
Make the second wing the same way, starting in head st 9. Sts 5 and 9 sit 2 sts away from st 7 on each side, so the wings are mirror images. Weave in all ends.
Make All Pieces
Cream/tan angels: 27
Column strands: 6
– Column 1: 6 angels, 35 in (88.9 cm) long
– Column 2: 5 angels, 29.5 in (74.9 cm)
– Column 3: 5 angels, 29.5 in (74.9 cm)
– Column 4: 4 angels, 24 in (61.0 cm)
– Column 5: 4 angels, 24 in (61.0 cm)
– Column 6: 3 angels, 18.5 in (47.0 cm)
Header: 1
Layout grid (rows of angels, left to right as seen from inside the room):
ROW 1: ANGEL ANGEL ANGEL ANGEL ANGEL ANGEL
ROW 2: ANGEL ANGEL ANGEL ANGEL ANGEL ANGEL
ROW 3: ANGEL ANGEL ANGEL ANGEL ANGEL ANGEL
ROW 4: ANGEL ANGEL ANGEL ANGEL ANGEL ----
ROW 5: ANGEL ANGEL ANGEL ---- ---- ----
ROW 6: ANGEL ---- ---- ---- ---- ----
That’s 6 + 6 + 6 + 5 + 3 + 1 = 27 angels.
Block the angels before joining. Spray each angel with starch and pin it flat. Open each scallop and each wing loop. Pin each angel to 3.5 in (8.9 cm) across the wings and 4 in (10.2 cm) tall, and let it dry completely.
Joining: Beaded Column Strands
Each column is one continuous chain. The angels are joined in as you work it, and the chain runs down behind each angel.
String the beads first. A column with n angels needs 2n + 2 beads. Thread 14, 12, 12, 10, 10 and 8 beads onto columns 1–6 (66 in total).
Top ring: Leave a 6 in (15.2 cm) tail. Ch 4, then sl st in the first ch to make a small ring.
Leader: Ch 2, bch, ch 3, bch, ch 2. This section is 2 in (5.1 cm) long.
Join an angel: With the angel RS up, insert the hook from front to back through head st 1. Sl st. Ch 21, which is 3.5 in (8.9 cm), and lay this chain flat down the back of the angel. Sl st through the center sc of the hem (the 4th sc of Row 5).
Gap: Ch 2, bch, ch 3, bch, ch 2. This section is 2 in (5.1 cm) long.
Repeat “join an angel” plus “gap” until the column holds all its angels. The gap after the last angel becomes the bottom tail. Fasten off and weave the end back up through the last few chains.
Stitch logic: Every angel hangs from 2 points, its head top and its hem center. Both points are on the angel’s center line, so the angel can’t twist or tilt. Each angel and its gap together measure 3.5 + 2 = 5.5 in (14.0 cm). A column is 2 in (5.1 cm) of leader plus 5.5 in per angel: 6 angels × 5.5 in + 2 in = 35 in (88.9 cm).
Tension: Keep the back chain loose enough that the angel lies flat. If the dress buckles, add 1 ch. If there’s a loop of slack behind the angel, take 1 ch out.
Size checkpoint: Hang each column from its ring and check the length against the list above. A difference of up to 0.25 in (0.6 cm) is fine.
Border: Beaded Header
The header is the curtain’s only edging. It’s a straight beaded strip worked in rows, and the columns are joined to it in the last row.
Border gauge: 6 sc = 1 in (2.5 cm). This is the same hook and tension you used for the gauge swatch.
String 24 beads onto the yarn before you start.
Row 1: Ch 145. Sc in the 2nd ch from the hook and in each ch across. (144 sc) This row is 24 in (61.0 cm) long, and this edge becomes the top of the header.
Row 2 (bead row): Ch 1 and turn. Sc in the next 2 sts, bsc in the next st, sc in the next 3 sts. Repeat from * 23 more times. (120 sc + 24 bsc = 144 sts) The beads sit on the side facing away from you, which is the front of the curtain.
Row 3 (joining row): Ch 1 and turn, so the beaded front now faces you. Sc in the next 12 sts. For the next sc, insert the hook through the column’s top ring and then into the next st, and finish the sc through both. Sc in the next 11 sts. Repeat from * 5 more times, joining columns 1–6 in order. (144 sc, 6 columns joined) Fasten off.
Hanging loops: Join the yarn at one top corner of Row 1. Ch 18, which is 3 in (7.6 cm), and sl st in the same st. Fasten off. Make a second loop at the other top corner.
Why the math works:
– The 144 sts divide into 6 segments of 24 sts, one for each column.
– At 6 sc per inch, each segment is 4 in (10.2 cm), so the whole header is 24 in (61.0 cm).
– Row 2 repeats every 6 sts, so each segment gets exactly 4 beads.
– Row 3 is worked in the opposite direction from Row 2. Within each segment, the beads end up at positions 4, 10, 16 and 22. The column joins at st 13, exactly halfway between the beads at 10 and 16.
– Each angel is 3.5 in (8.9 cm) wide on a 4 in (10.2 cm) spacing, which leaves 0.5 in (1.3 cm) between neighboring wings.
– The header’s 3 rows at 6 rows per inch make it 0.5 in (1.3 cm) deep.
Final Blocking
- Lay the curtain face down on a large, clean surface.
- Smooth the header straight and pin it to 24 in (61.0 cm).
- Straighten each column so it hangs at a right angle to the header.
- Lightly re-starch any angel whose wings have curled.
- Let everything dry flat.
- Hang the curtain for 24 hours so the strands settle under their own weight.
- Measure the longest column again. It should be 35 in (88.9 cm).
Final Quality-Control Checklist
- All 27 angels measure 3.5 in (8.9 cm) × 4 in (10.2 cm).
- Every dress has 6 open scallops and a visible mesh row.
- Every angel is attached at its head top and its hem center.
- The columns hold 6, 5, 5, 4, 4 and 3 angels, from left to right.
- The beads all face the front.
- The header measures 24 in (61.0 cm), and the columns are 4 in (10.2 cm) apart.
- All ends are woven in and nothing pokes out at the front.
Troubleshooting
- The dress cups: Your tension tightened on Row 4. Loosen up, or check that the row has exactly 25 dc.
- The dress ruffles: You have too many sts. Recount Rows 2 and 4.
- The angel tilts: The back chain went into the wrong hem sc. Use the 4th sc of Row 5.
- The beads won’t thread: Use a dental-floss threader, or switch to beads with bigger holes.
- A column is too long: Take 1 ch out of each gap.
- The header waves: Your stitches are too loose. Remake it with a hook 0.25 mm smaller.
Care
Hand wash in cool water with mild soap and roll the curtain in a towel. Re-starch the angels and dry the curtain flat. Never tumble dry it, because the beads can crack.
Final Notes
All the sizes come from one chain of measurements:
- Each angel is 4 in (10.2 cm) tall and 3.5 in (8.9 cm) wide.
- Each angel plus its gap repeats every 5.5 in (14.0 cm).
- The columns are 35 in (88.9 cm), 29.5 in (74.9 cm), 24 in (61.0 cm) and 18.5 in (47.0 cm) long.
- The header’s 144 sts make 6 segments of 4 in (10.2 cm), for a total width of 24 in (61.0 cm).
If your angel matches the gauge checkpoint, the rest of the curtain will come out at these sizes. Optionally, to cover a wider window, add more 24-st header segments and more columns.
Happy crocheting!